Big Brother
by EL Hyland
Summary: Jackson Avery's half sister shows up in the Emergency Room and he suddenly has an eighteen year old to take care of.
1. Chapter 1

April met the ambulance outside and smiled when Matthew jumped out of the driver's seat. He returned the smile before turning to open the ambulance door. He partner jumped out and together they pulled the stretcher out.

"What do we have?"

"Eighteen year old female, drug overdose," Matthew said as they wheeled her inside. "Her friends say they were all talking caffeine pills to stay awake and study for their pre-med exams, they went out to celebrate after the exam last night, had a few drinks and sometime during the night she took a bunch of sleeping pills. The bottle of pills was next to her and they weren't able to wake her up."

"Okay," April said and turned to a nurse. "Let's get an IV in."

The nurse nodded and began to roll up her sleeve. "Doctor Kepner?"

"Yes?" April turned and noticed the medical alert bracelet. "What's it say?"

"Caroline Avery, diabetic."

"Avery?" April said sharply as she looked at the bracelet. "Okay, get the IV in and don't say a word to anyone, she is Jane Doe until I figure this out."

The nurse nodded and continued to insert the IV. April worked on her and when she was stable, she transported her to the ICU. She wasn't sure if this girl was who she thought she was, or it was just a weird coincidence, but April knew she had to keep this quiet. An Avery, any Avery, in the hospital is celebrity gossip in the medical world.

It took April about half an hour to find Jackson. She then had to wait another hour until he was finished with his surgery. It gave her time to try and figure out what she was going to say, but when Jackson walked out of the operating room all her plans and ideas vanished.

"Ross here just got to help with his first boob job," Jackson grinned at April as he slapped a hand on Ross' shoulder, who also wore a big smile.

"That's nice," April nodded. "Can I talk to you for a minute? Privately?"

"Yeah, sure." Jackson said, frowning.

He followed her to an empty on call room and he suddenly became suspicious. "Is this a booty call? Because last time I checked you're back with Matthew, and I'm still with Stephanie, sort of."

"What?" April shook her head, caught off guard. "No."

"Okay, well you already apologized for blaming me, so what's up?"

April hesitated, still unsure what to say. "You know how you told me that your Dad isn't really around, but that he remarried and you have a half-sister."

"Yeah, Carrie, what about her?"

"When was the last time you saw her or talked to her?"

"I don't know, a few months ago," Jackson shrugged. "I went out to dinner with her before she flew home for Christmas."

"Right, because she goes to school here."

"Yeah she goes to Wash U," Jackson frowned. "April, what's this about?"

"Is Carrie short for Caroline?" Jackson nodded. "And is she a diabetic?"

"Yes," Jackson said, angry building in his voice. "April what the hell is going on?"

"I think she was brought in this morning," April said slowly.

"What? Why?"

"Well, it's kind of complicated," April said, trailing off.

"April!" Jackson said angrily, tired of her beating around the bush.

"It was a drug overdose, Jackson." She said softly.

"She doesn't do drugs." He defended. "She's in pre-med April, she's not a low life or an idiot."

"Not those kinds of drugs," April said, trying to explaining. "She was taking caffeine pills to stay awake for her exams and she went out to celebrate with her friends after, they had a few drinks,"

"So it was an accident." Jackson interrupted.

"No," April shook her head. "Jackson, she took a bunch of sleeping pills. They found her this morning."

"It's not her, she wouldn't do that."

"Come with me," April said softly. "To her room, if it's not her, it's not her."

Jackson nodded and followed April upstairs and down the hall to the intensive care unit. April stopped outside the door and he looked in through the glass windows. All the anger suddenly drained out of him when he noticed it was her. He became worried as he stared at her. She looked very pale, had a breathing tube in and an IV hook up. April noticed Jackson's expression and body language change. He went from having his arms on his hips and a scowl on his face, to crossing his arms with a worried expression.

"Is she okay?"

April nodded. "She's stable and we're just waiting for her to wake up."

"How did you know?"

"She has a medical alert bracelet for her diabetes." April confirmed. "I wrote her in as a Jane Doe though. I didn't want to anyone to know before you."

He nodded, the frown deepening on his forehead. "Thank you."

"Do you want me to call your Dad? Or her Mom?"

Jackson shook his head. "No, I'll do it."

"If you want to stay with her, I can cancel your surgeries for the day?"

"No, I uh," Jackson struggled as he continued to look at her. All he could remember was this loud blue-eyed girl with wavy brown hair that always had a smile on her face. He couldn't believe what was happening. "I'm no good waiting around. I need to keep busy. Just come get me when she wakes up and don't tell anyone."

April nodded and watched him disappear down the hall. She knew how he worked; he processed things alone and he was right, he wasn't good at waiting around. April continued to work the Emergency Room but she called up to the ICU every half hour to check on Caroline. After a few house she became stable enough to have the breathing tube removed and she was moved into a private room. April continued to have a nurse check on her every half hour and report back to her, but she had yet to wake up.

April stood at the end of her bed that afternoon and sighed. She figured the main reason she was still asleep was because she probably went a while with little to no sleep each night. April felt sorry for Jackson which caused her to feel angry towards Carrie. She didn't know all the facts yet, but it sounded like his sister overdosed on purpose and April found that selfish.

April continued to glare at the girl until she suddenly started to move. She moved her head slightly and April noticed her frown before she blinked her eyes a few times and her breathing suddenly became heavier. April stepped forward and went to her side when she tried to sit up.

"Carrie?" She said softly as she hit the nurse's button. "I'm Doctor Kepner, do you remember what happened?"

"Uhm," She struggled to clear her throat and April handed her some water. She drank some slowly as she became more alert. "I feel like I got hit by a bus."

The nurse appeared in the doorway and April looked up. "Page Avery 911 from me." The nurse nodded and left the room. "You're going to feel pretty sore and weak for the next few days. You overdosed on sleeping pills, do you remember that?"

"Yeah, I remember." She mumbled groggily.

"We had to pump your stomach and insert a breathing tube," April explained. "You were pretty touch and go for a little while there." April paused. "Did you do this on purpose?"

"We both know it doesn't matter why I did it," She said slowly. "I still have to be evaluated by psych."

"Carrie," Jackson said from the doorway.

She turned to look at him and she suddenly became emotional, although she tried to hold it together. "Jackson?"

"I'll leave you two only," April said as she crossed the room and smiled at Jackson before closing the door.

Jackson pulled a chair up to the side of her bed and reached out to hold her hand. "I hope you feel as awful as you look," He said. "Please, just tell me it was an accident."

"I can't," She said and suddenly the tears started to fall. "I couldn't do it anymore, Jackson."

"Couldn't do what?"

"Be an Avery," She confessed. "It's so much pressure."

"I know it is." Jackson said. "I've been there before, being asked for things and offered things just because of your last name and you're expected to be great. I know how hard it is but I got through it."

"But you got through it because it's what you love to do," She said, still struggling to speak. "I don't want to be a doctor, Jackson. I tried to tell Dad and Grandpa but they wouldn't listen. Our family is filled with doctors. No one understands that I don't want to be one too."

"You've always wanted to be a doctor." Jackson said confused.

"No, I've always been told I should be a doctor," She corrected. "I'm failing some of my classes, Jackson. I told Dad I didn't want to go to med school and he told me not to come home. I felt trapped and overwhelmed and I was drunk after a horrible exam and my sleeping pills were sitting on my desk and I just felt so lonely and I didn't want to do it anymore."

"You aren't alone." He said as he squeezed her hand. "Why didn't you call me?"

"You're a doctor too," She smiled weakly. "And at Christmas you seemed so proud and excited that I was going to be one too."

"I would have understood." He said. "If you're not happy, I would have told you to do what makes you happy."

"You say that now," She said softly as she was getting tired again. "But you don't know for sure what you would have said."

"Carrie, it's not worth losing your life over. I would have helped you, just like I'm going to help you now." He smiled as she struggled to stay awake. "Get some sleep, we'll talk when you wake up."

"Promise you won't leave?" She mumbled.

"I'm not going anywhere, Carebear." She smiled his nickname for her before she drifted back off to sleep. Jackson leaned back in the chair and watched her. He ran through a long list of things he was going to have to do to get her through the next couple days, but one thing was for sure, he was going to be keeping a very close eye on his sister from now on.


	2. Chapter 2

"I saw that Carrie is getting released today." Meredith said to Jackson that morning at their meeting. "That's exciting."

Jackson nodded. "Yeah, she can't wait."

"How is she feeling?" Derek asked.

"Better than the first time you saw her." Jackson smirked. "Physically she's fine."

"And mentally?" Christina asked. "I mean, she did try to kill herself right? By the way, how is it that you've never once mentioned that you had a sister?"

"We weren't close until a few years ago." He shrugged. "She just never really came up."

"Reminds me of the Alex thing." Christina said. "One day his brother shows up and suddenly we find out everything about Alex's childhood."

"Well don't expect to hear all about my childhood." Jackson said. "I only ever spent a few weeks with her each summer at my grandparents."

"So what changed?" Derek asked. "You said you became close a few years ago."

"The shooting," Jackson said with hesitation. "She heard and called me to make sure I was okay and we started talking more after that. She started visiting and then she started school here in the fall."

"So what's your plan?" Christina interrupted. "Ship her back to your Dad's or are you going to play house?"

Jackson rolled his eyes at her. "I don't know yet."

"Have you talked to your Dad?" Meredith asked.

"I left him a message telling him Carrie was staying with me for a bit." He sighed. "I didn't tell him about the overdose. He told her not to come home if she wasn't going to be a doctor."

"It's what I would have done." Christina said. "I mean, who doesn't want to be a doctor? You better make sure she doesn't try and off herself again."

"Christina!" Meredith shrieked. "Stop being so insensitive. But seriously Jackson, what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to bring her back to my apartment, watch her like a hawk and try to figure out what happened to my sister." He said simply. "I have rounds."

Jackson excused himself from the meeting and began his work. He had a long day ahead of him with little down time. He planned it heavier in the morning so he could take Carrie home when she got discharged at three. He had moved her discharge time to later in the day to make it more compatible with his schedule.

He spent the morning in four back to back surgeries. Fortunately they were fast and relatively easy procedures with no complications. He grabbed a quick lunch, happy to be on time, but a little upset that he couldn't have lunch with his sister. He had spent every lunch for the past week with her and he hoped she was okay. After lunch he had three consult appointments. With the exception of one, they went pretty well and he headed off to pick up Carrie.

He waited outside her room as the psychiatrist spoke with her one last time. It was routine, but if any red flags went up, they could hold her again. Jackson was nervous but he felt that the best thing for his sister was to get her into a stable environment with a routine. The doctor emerged from the room and looked at him for a moment before speaking.

"Caffeine pills delay the effects of alcohol so she probably drank more than what she would have usually, if she even was a drinker before." The psychiatrist explained. "She said she had been taking the pills for about a week so she was pretty dependant on them at that point. In addition to that, she had alcohol poisoning so I believe that she may not have realized what she was doing."

"So this could have been an accident?" He asked. "She could have only taken a few or not realized how many she took?"

"Yes, it's possible." She nodded. "She was prescribed the sleeping pills because of anxiety. The key factor is whether or not she was feeling any feelings of depression before the caffeine pills. She told me she was stressed and overwhelmed with school and that's why she had to take sleeping pills. That's enough to push some kids, especially if they are under pressure at home to do well, which I assume she is."

"Yes, she is."

"That pressure in combination with coming down of the high of the caffeine could have played a role in her taking the sleeping pills as well. Whether or not she meant to, she nearly killed herself so we had to treat this as an attempted suicide."

Jackson nodded. "I understand. Where do we go from here?"

"Well, it's been a week." She confirmed. "She passed the evaluation during the seventy-two hour hold and she has physically recovered, right?"

"Yes, she didn't do any permanent damage to her heart, liver or brain so she doesn't need to stay unless she doesn't get cleared mentally."

"I'm lifting the hold." She said. "But I do advise you get her a councillor to speak with, you speak with her and you keep a close eye on her. Dr. Avery, she was very lucky."

He nodded and he watched her walk away before he walked into Carrie's room. Over the past week, his sister seemed genuinely upset about what happened and she had told him she regretted it. He believed her, but he was still worried about her.

"Ready to go home Carebear?" He asked with a smile.

"Yes," She nodded. "A week in a hospital is torture."

Jackson gave her a look. "It's not that bad."

"It is when you are a patient."

"Well, next time don't put yourself in the hospital."

"To be fair, I wasn't planning to put myself in the hospital." She mumbled.

"You're lucky you weren't put in the ground." Carrie smirked but Jackson was less than pleased. "It's not funny. This is not some big joke Carrie. You almost died."

"How many times do I have to say that I didn't want to kill myself?"

"Whether you wanted to or not, you almost did." He said. "I don't appreciate you joking around about it. You scared the hell out of me and every time you make a comment like that you make me worry that you're going to do it again."

"I'm not going to do it again, Jackson." She said.

"Carrie," He said softly but firmly as he sat on her bed. "I need you to talk to someone about all of this. This is serious and I want you home with me but I need to know that you're okay and that you won't do this again. The only way I can get that reassurance is if you talk to a councillor."

"Why can't I just talk to you?" She said. "We can figure it out right?"

"We will be talking," He nodded. "But I'm not a physiatrist and I can help you with talking to Dad and the family and I can help you figure out what you want to do with school, but I can't help you with the feeling that got you to this point."

"I'm not crazy or depressed." She said. "I made one stupid mistake, Jackson."

"I know but the part of you that got you to think that there was no other option, that part of you scares me and I know it scares you too." He said. "You need to be able to deal with stress and anxiety in other ways. I'll do everything I can for you, but you need to do this for me and you need to do it for yourself."

She nodded and was quiet for a few moments before she looked up at him. "I'll do it, just don't send me away."

Jackson gave her a sympathetic look and pulled her into his chest. "I'm not going to send you away."

"I don't want to go home, either." She mumbled into his chest. "I don't even want them to know."

"You don't have to go home, but they should probably know about this."

"They told me not to come home and they wouldn't help me. They don't deserve to know."

Jackson sighed as he pulled her back to look at her. "Let's just go home."

The car ride back to his place was silent. Carrie listened to the radio and stared out the window the whole time. Jackson looked over at her a few times, trying to figure out what she was looking at and wondering what she was thinking. But Carrie wasn't really looking at anything, she was just looking. She was watching the people and thinking about the last week.

Jackson helped her inside and put her stuff in the bedroom that used to be April's. He had went to her dorm and packed up all her things and brought them into the room. He set her bag on the bed and watched her look around the room.

"April set up your stuff," he explained. "All I did was hang up your clothes and apparently I was even doing that wrong. I know it doesn't look like the way you had it at your dorm but you can change it."

Carrie smiled. "No, I like it. She's very organized, isn't she?"

"Oh yeah," Jackson nodded. "Why don't you unpack and rest and I'll make some dinner?"

She nodded and began to unpack the few things that were in her bag. She looked around her room at her stuff as bits and pieces of that night flashed through her mind. She grabbed her laptop and logged into facebook out of curiosity. She had a few messages from friends asking if she was okay but was happy no one had publically posted on her wall. Although she knew most of her friends from school would have heard, it was still nice that it wasn't broadcasted. She flipped through the pictures from that night and the memories began to flood back. Regret and fear washed over her and she exited the page quickly.

Carrie tried to hold it together but her emotions were overwhelming. She walked out of her room and into the living room. She watched Jackson cook spaghetti for a few moments before she crossed the room and leaned on the island. He turned when he heard her but he stopped stirring the sauce when he noticed the look on her face.

"I remember taking the pills." She said softly. "I did try to kill myself."

Jackson frowned and switched the stove off. He turned his attention fully to her but he didn't move from the other side of the counter. "Why didn't you tell me this?"

"I didn't want you to send me to a mental hospital." She confessed. "I told the doctors I didn't remember doing it because I thought if they knew the truth they would send me away."

"That's not how it works." He said as he leaned against the counter with his arms crossed. "You should have just told them the truth. They deal with this kind of thing all the time. If you told them the truth they could help you."

"I was scared, Jackson." She admitted. "I wanted to do it in that moment because everything just seemed like it was too much but it was a mistake. I made one mistake and I completely regret it."

"I hope you do regret it, Carrie." He nodded. "I hope it scared you as much as it scared me. I hope you realize how stupid that was, how serious it was and how selfish you were being."

"I know and I'm sorry." She said with tears in her eyes as he simply nodded. He was mad and she knew it. He had every right to be upset with her, she put him through hell. "Okay, I just wanted you to know that."

She turned to leave and Jackson sighed. "Carrie." Carrie turned and ran into his arms. She buried her head in his chest and cried. Jackson held her tightly as he rested his chin on the top of her head and rubbed her back. He held her for a few minutes before putting his hand on her shoulder and pulling her back.

"I love you, alright? No matter what you do but don't ever put me through that again." She nodded and he wiped stray tears from her eyes. "I believe that you regret it but the point is that you still did it, Carrie. You need to work through these emotions. You're physical state is healthy, it's time to work on your mental state."

She nodded. "Okay."

"You can stay here for as long as you like." He assured. "We'll get through this, I promise."


	3. Chapter 3

Carrie heard the explosion from inside. She had known that a bus exploded but she didn't know Jackson was anywhere near it. When she heard that he was hurt, she took off running. The hospital was dark but she figured it out. The Emergency Room was the only place that seemed to be loud so she just followed the sound.

Jackson had insisted she come to work with him that day. The storm was going to be bad and he wanted to keep an eye on her. Carrie understood that he didn't want to be worrying about her all day but the hospital wasn't her favourite place. She found it boring but Jackson thought it was the best time for her to get caught up on her classes.

Carrie had failed two courses and Jackson was making her retake them during the summer so she wasn't behind. She hadn't decided what she wanted to do yet and Jackson was okay with that. But he wasn't okay with her failing classes. Even though she didn't want to be a doctor, she might want to do something else in the health or sciences field and that would require her first year courses.

Carrie wasn't happy about it, but she knew Jackson was right. So she was retaking Calculus and Chemistry. It wasn't going to be the most fun summer but at least she had Jackson to help her with school and she didn't feel trapped or have much anxiety about school anymore.

Carrie rounded the corner of the ER and stood in the room by the nurse's station and looked around. Callie saw her and watched her for a moment. She could tell Carrie was looking for Jackson by the panicked expression on her face. She wasn't sure how she found it but she deserved to know what happened.

"He's okay," Callie said as she approached her. "His left shoulder is dislocated and his right wrist is sprained. Other than being a bit banged up he is fine."

Carrie nodded but didn't relax. "Can I see him?"

"Yeah, of course."

Carrie followed Callie to the area where Jackson was. He wasn't in a room because the hospital was full, but he was separated by curtains from the other patients. April came out of the closure just as they reached it. She looked a Callie for a moment before quickly turning and walking away in the other direction. Callie looked less than pleased with April, but she put on a smile as she opened up the curtain.

"Up for a visitor?" She asked Jackson.

He frowned. "Who?"

Callie nodded and Carrie stepped into the room as Callie closed the curtain behind her. Jackson's expression changed to worried when he saw Carrie standing there. He could tell she was worried about him but he could also see the fear in her eyes. "Come here, Carebear." He said softly as he held out his right arm.

Carrie began to cry as she walked over to the side of the bed and lay down beside him. She laid on her side as he wrapped his good arm tightly around her neck and shoulders. He couldn't see her face, as it was buried in his arm, but he could feel her tears and the soft sobs racking her body.

"It's okay Care," He said softly as he dropped a kiss to her head. "I'm okay."

"You could have died." She mumbled through tears. "They thought you died. They said you were at the bus when it exploded."

"It looked worse than it was," He tried to explain. "I saved a little girl who would have died without my help."

"I would have no one if you would have died." She continued to mumble and Jackson realized how scared she really was. "I'm so glad you're letting me stay with you and helping me with school. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you. I can't go home Jackson."

"Carrie," He said in a soothing voice. "I'm okay. Everything will be okay. Nothing is going to happen to me or to you. I promise, alright?"

She nodded and was quiet for a few moments. "I'm sorry if I ever made you this scared."

Her words tugged at his heart strings and he squeezed her a little tighter. "I promise you aren't going to lose me. Not without one hell of a fight."

"Are they going to make me leave?" She asked in a small voice. "I don't want to leave."

Jackson frowned. "You can stay right here. I don't want you out of my sight during this storm, especially with the power out."

"I know I'm acting more like an eight year old, than eighteen." She said. "But I just need my big brother right now."

Jackson smiled. "I'm right here, Care. I'm not going anywhere."

They both drifted off into sleep shortly after. It was late and the day had been hectic and tiring for everyone. Jackson drifted in and out of sleep but Carrie had been sound asleep for hours, still by his side. Jackson was awake when Callie stopped in to check on him. She smiled at Carrie sleeping beside him and grinned back at her.

"She's out," He said. "Has been for hours."

"Do you want me to get her a cot?" She asked. "I can get Owen to help me move her."

"Nah," Jackson shook his head. "She's okay and she isn't bothering me. I'd rather her just get some sleep."

"I'll at least get you a blanket." Callie said as she grabbed one from outside and threw it over both of them.

"Thanks, Callie." Jackson nodded.

Jackson was woken up but Carrie having a nightmare. She was mumbled something and she started moving around. Jackson tried to get her to calm down without waking her up but she only seemed to get worse. He tried to listen to what she was saying but he couldn't make it out.

"Carrie," He said as he shook her. "Carrie wake up."

"Jackson?" She said sleepily.

"You were having a nightmare." Jackson moved his arm as she sat up. He watched the frown creep into her forehead and he couldn't help but frown himself. "What is it kiddo?"

She shook her head. "Nothing, just a stupid dream."

"Are you sure?" He raised his eyebrows. "You can tell me."

"It was nothing," She assured him. He didn't believe her, but he didn't want to put her right now. "What was April doing in here earlier?"

Jackson sighed. "If I tell you, you cannot say one word about it, ever."

Carrie nodded. "Okay."

"I mean it." He said.

"I won't say anything."

"So April and I used to date," He started.

"What?" Carried asked in complete shock. If she wasn't awake a minute ago, she was wide awake now. "No way!"

Jackson grinned. "We were best friends and then it was more than that for a while, and then it ended."

"Why did it end?"

"Well," Jackson hesitated as he tried to explain. "April is a Christian and I may have been her first."

Carrie smirked. "You took her v-card?"

"V-card?" Jackson said with raised eyebrows before shaking his head. "Anyway, she failed her boards and kind of blamed me saying God was punishing her for what we did."

"Wow, real winner there."

Jackson frowned. "Hey, she is a great person with morals. There is nothing wrong with wanting to wait until marriage. I'd be thrilled if that was your plan."

"Yeah, well," Carrie wrinkled her nose and looked away. "Kind of not possible."

"I'm really not ready to have this talk with you." Jackson sighed. "Do we have to have a talk?"

"No we do not." She said quickly. "I'm responsible and smart."

"And in love, I hope."

"Jackson," She whined. "I can't have this conversation with my brother."

"Carrie," Jackson looked at her. "I am a lot older than you and I don't want to see you get hurt."

"I know, but I still don't feel like talking about it right now." She sighed. "So you and April."

Jackson decided to drop the subject for now because he didn't really want to talk about it either. "Right, so after she failed her boards, she got fired and went back home. She kind of fell apart but long story short, she came back, we became friends again, she met Matthew and got engaged."

"Okay," Carrie frowned.

"So, she saw the explosion happen and thought I died." He explained. "I don't know what happened but I guess she felt something when she thought I was dead. She came into my room and basically said she wouldn't get married if I gave her reason not to."

"Oh my God," Carrie said. "So she wants to be with you?"

Jackson shrugged. "I don't know. I guess so."

"Do you want to be with her?"

"I'm not sure." He sighed. "It's all very confusing. I had strong feeling for April, I still do, but I don't know, Care. It's a tough call and maybe she's just confused. She thought I died, anyone would have crazy emotions and regrets if they thought their ex died. Matthew is a good guy and probably the right guy for her."

"You're a good person too." Carrie said. "Is she right for you, though?"

"I have no idea, Carrie." He said honestly.

"Well she needs to make up her own mind." She insisted. "She can't put that decision on you. She either loves Matthew and wants to be with him forever or she doesn't. Shouldn't that be an easy decision?"

"I think it's a very hard decision and not one we are going to figure out tonight." He sighed. "Come on, let's go back to sleep."

She hesitated laying back down. "Am I hurting you?"

He frowned with a grin. "Care, you're like a hundred and fifteen pounds."

"Well yeah, but it's a small bed and I was lying on your arm, that can't be comfortable."

"I'm fine." He said simply.

She lay back down but this time on her back. Her head was slightly resting between his shoulder and his chest and he once again wrapped his arm around her. As she drifted back to sleep she felt safe and secure in his embrace.


End file.
